A Different Virus: Heartfire

Chapter 12

The Raider Group Leader was driving while the Guard Group Leader sat in the seat across the aisle from me. The Guard barely waited until the tires started moving before he started talking.

"Okay, what were those two doing that you were able to get past them? Did you really walk?"

I shrugged, unsure of exactly how stern this Group Leader was. "At first they were just talking, but then they decided to sit where their view was partially blocked to continue chatting. I came out of the field and climbed up while I was completely out of their line of sight. It was a fast walk, and I was partially crouched over, but I wasn't going that much faster than the average zombie."

He frowned at this news; he was not impressed with the behavior of the trainees. Their actions had put everyone at risk. I had walked across a field and a strip of gravel, and they had neither seen nor heard me.

"Well, after that humiliation they won't be repeating that stunt again," he said, still frowning. "There will be some serious consequences for their reckless behavior. By the time I get done with them, they will be lucky if they can even stand."

His response and intolerance for their irresponsible actions didn't surprise me. Guards were there to protect people, and they usually took their profession very seriously. Those two trainees put two entire groups in jeopardy, and that didn't sit well with him at all. The two delinquents were in for a rude awakening when they figured out just how severe the consequences would be.

The Raider leaned back in his seat a bit so he could see me in the rear-view mirror. His eyes met mine and he spoke softly, not wanting to open emotional wounds, "Diane, are you okay? We were worried when you disappeared. We couldn't find any trace of you."

I took a deep breath as I was once more reminded of what had happened that night. I had known that going back would bring me face to face with the reality of my now-departed friends.

"Kailey, Evan... They were my friends ever since I could remember. My parents are on the other side of the world, if they are even still alive." I exhaled as I closed my eyes. Grief colored my quiet voice as I continued, "Seeing Kailey like that; hearing Evan was gone... It hurt. For a bit, I just couldn't take it. I needed space and time to cope with their loss. Being inside the fence... All of the memories were there. They never went outside of the fence, so there were no memories out there."

The Raider nodded in sympathy. "Will you be okay going back?"

"I should be, the pain is less now."

Silence followed for a few minutes. They also appeared lost in thought and likely had also lost people close to them that dreadful night. I decided to break the silence. There were questions that had been haunting me ever since I jumped the fence when leaving, and I hoped that these two may know the answers.

"What exactly did happen?"

There was a short silence as they gathered their thoughts and put them into words. The Guard went first. "One of the new people turned. At least three people were injured badly enough that they turned immediately. One turned into a Swift. Someone pulled the fire alarm to wake the others up. One of the other new people had hidden a handgun in his belongings. You can guess how things went from there.

"Chaos spread through most of the lower floor of the main building, into two of the other buildings, as well as outside. Someone eventually tackled the Swift into the pool once it was outside, knowing it would be unable to get out of the water easily. We started to get things under control at that point, but so many had turned by then. Those narrow hallways trapped people, making evasion and maneuvering impossible.

"Eventually, we got everything under control, as you know. A small fire had started in the kitchen, but we managed to put it out. Anyone who was bitten was put into isolation. In the morning, we did a thorough scouring of the main building and conducted a headcount of the living, dead, and missing."